Detachable extension table top



Oct. 11, 1960 A. E. GRAVES 2,955,888

DETACHABLE' EXTENSION TABLE TOP Filed Oct. 16, 1958 ZZ 23 i; l /5 1'8 INVENTOR. HLFREDH E. GRAVES Patented oct. 111960 DEFA(II-IA'VBL'E EXTENSIN TABLE TOP AlfredaE. Graves, 143:4.SW'.v 158thSeattle 66, Wash.

Filedet. 16, 1958; Ser. No. 767,567

3 Claims;- (flf.y 311-41) Tlzisinventiorrrelatesto extension tables, and namely that type of table`in' which the top includes a center or navesectionof comparatively small area and has several leaf sections removably'ass'o'ciated. therewith, the addition of such leaves' giving` to the assembly a greater areal'compasswhen the' need'or desire therefor' arises.

It' is one object of'V the invention to'provide a table of sturdy construction and unusually attractive appearance having'removable leafl sectionsv for theV sides and for the ends so as" to be extensible hoth transversely and'longitudin'all'y, and characterizedin that the leaves rest upon rails sli'dablysupportedforn movement into andvfr'om operating positions. As afurther! object'still the invention aimsV to provide an extension table ofA the character described in whichV therailsso interiit' with the leaves as to preclude shifting' of th'e. leaves relative to the main or naveY section of the table.

A; further importantf object" is tof provide an extension table' in which only. the rails" which give'Y supportY to the side'. leafi sections 'nd their? slide' mounting; in the. nave section of the.tahle,.th'e.rails whichsupport the end leaf sections receiving" their" slide mounting from side leaf sections., g Y

A still further an`d` important' object of the invention is to provide an` extension -tabl'e' of the character described having the ends of said sliding railsV exposed for maximum acces'sihilit'y, and wherein such exposed ends are itt'e'd" with Yescuteheo'n plates: so` Blending with the architecture of the talileV asI tolgive'y the appearance of 'oeing permanentlyv ailxed hardware therefore.-

The foregoing and other objectsland' advantages in view will appear' andib'e nderstoodin the course ofthe following.descriptionandcliinsgthe inventionconsistingin the n'ovel construction and'in the adaptation andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings:

Figure l is a` perspective exploded view'pb'rtraying the nave sectioniandfurfremvahle lefs'eetions of an extion table` constructed to embody, the preferred4 teachings ofthe' present 'inventin Fig 2 i'sfa perspective View. ofsaid'sever-all sections shown inthe positions occupied' when the navesectionof the table has been extended'by. the.. addition of-the--four leaf sections.

Fig.` a transverse vertical sectional Viewdrawn, to au enlarged'scale on line 33hof`Fig- 24.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view drawn to a yet larger scale on line 4.--4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the nave section of the table with the leaf sections removed, the

view being from the underside looking at the near corner,-

considered from the vantage point of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings the main or nave section of the table is designated by the numeral 10, and is comprised, by preference, of a slab of hardwood having a rectangular plan conhguration and sustained by pedestals 11. The pedestals are desirably metal and are iixedly Vways 2.2.

secured' to such nave section so as to underlie the. same in positions spracedfrom but proximate to the two end extremities. From the standpoint of appearance the slab should be fairly thick and have a length consider' ably longer than its width, say 5 x 2'. The leaf sections for the present table4 are also Vrectangular in plan configuration and are desirablyl cut from a hardwood stock of the same thickness. There are six leaf sections, two of. which are sidev leaves designated by 12 andthe other four are. end leaves designated by 13; As will be clear from the following description, the length. ofr the side leaf sections is` dictated by the lengthf ofthe nave section. The width of the nave section aggregated with that of the two side leaffsections determines the. length of the end leaf sections. By such'rtoken, and assuming that the leaf sections have a width of9, the side leaf sections are 9 x 60" while'the endleaf sections are'9. x 42". lt is self-evident that additional end leaf sections may be employed if desired, each grooved in correspondence with the grooving of the-sections 13.

At each end'of the nave section in the-space between the related pedestal and the end extremity thereis carried a respective pair of rails, asv 14. and 15, mounted for transverse slidey movement. These rails lie one alongside the other and each has a rather snug htin arespective slide-way 16 so routed. from the-underside of the nave section that one such. slide-wayI is exposedto one side edge of the. nave section and the other slide-wayto the other side edge; Each. rail. rides upon two crosshars 17 spaced apartlongitudinally ofthe slide-way and secured in position by. screws,` or the like 1S.V The rails are metal, as. arethe cross-bars, and havean exposedend of eachV securedto a. respective escutcheonhead- 20;

When z the. outer. ends ofthe. rails are withdrawnr from the-related. slide-ways there isprovidedateach side of the.` nave.. section` a. substantial cantilever shelf on-` which the; sideleaf sections 12Y areadaptedrto rest, and cach said side leaf section. has: transverse grooves. 21e routed from: its underside toreceive the related rails:y The grooves 21 exactly register with=the-slide'ways 16,-,wherefor endsf of the rail-supported sideY leaf sectionsilielush witnthe .ends of thenave section;

A. slide-wayv 22. is .routed from the undersidefofVr each side railsect-ion at each end thereof onlthe approximate longitudinal. median. line of the section;v with each: said slidelway4 exceeding vthe depth ofthe groovesv 21 by the ythickness of arail. A- trail, las- 23 and 24; is'received in each slide-way and; likeV the rails 141andr15; derives support from ya pair of cross-bars 27- spaced apantz longitudinally of the concerned slide-way. Counterparts'` 25 of the escutcheon heads 2tlare securedf upon-the ends of 4the rails 23. andV 24 exposedfin theslide-Ways. 22; A withdrawal of the outer endsl of the rails 2?:Y and: 24 producesV a` shelf, actinginv thisl instance to,- support: the end. leafV sections 13. Y As' with the sid'e leaf sections, grooves 26l are routed inthe undersidei ofLthe end-` leaf sections. toreceive the'protruding ends of the 23 and 24,.:these groovesV exactly: registeringwith theslide- For attaching :the escutcheon heads to the rails the latter are mortised into the heads and are hxedly secured by a respective cap screw 30. yThe heads each present a planar .back face 28 which extends horizontally well beyond both side edges, and vertically well beyond both the upper and the lower edge, of the related rail. The bottom projection perforce produces a lip, as 29, readily engageable by a linger 4for withdrawing the rails when it is desired to extend the same for reception of the leaves. When pushed inwardly .to .the maximum of the permitted ytravel each escutcheon head lies `hat against a side edge of the nave section or a leaf section, as the case may be, and to such head every appearance of being tixedly secured to the concerned sectionas ornamental hardware therefor. The eect-American Primitive*is perforce enhancedleither by the employ-YV ment ofV thick slab stock, as-shown,V onby the use of plywood withV a finish skirting yof suicient depth vand the proper graining to suggest slab stock. Hardware can be easilyy designed to provide slide-,ways-lupon the underside of plywoodV panels, in lieu of routingslab Astock fin the .manner here shown and described.

It will be vapparent that the table can be used either with the nave section alone, the nave section and one t or both side leaf sections, or the nave section, side sections, yand one vor Yboth end lea-f sections,V providingl in t `andthat {the'hereto annexed claimsbe given a scope fully commensurate with the .broadest [interpretation to which the employed language lfairly admits. t, yWhat I claim is:

Y 1. An extension table comprising a main nave section of rectangular lplan conguration providing transversely extending slide-ways upon its underside each open by one'end thereofr'to `a side edge of the section, there being 'atleast two of said slide-ways for each side edge spaced one from the other longitudinally of the section, a respec-Y tive rail received in each'slide-way for 'movement between two extremesV in one of which the rail is Wholly Vlhoused within the slide-way and in the other Vof which a substantial-portion of the rail projects as `a cantilever beyond the related side edge, and side leaf sectionsrofY rectangular plan configuration corresponding in length underside -With full-width grooves placed so `as to register Vwith the slide-Ways-and arranged to receive thetproiectl ing ends of said rails for localizing the leaf Vsectionsrrela- .tive to the nave section, the cantilever portion of each of said :railsbeingprovided uponrits extremity with an escutcheon head'brought to bear upon the related sideV edgeof the lnave section when the rail is retractedY and length of the nave section and in Width to a permitted projection of said railsV and provided upon their underside with full-Width groovesplaced so as to register with the slide-ways and arranged to receive the projecting ends of said rails for localizing the leafrsections relative to the nave section, said side leaf sections each providing at least two ilongitudinally'extending slide-ways upon its underside open by an end of each one to one and the other to the other end edge of the section, Va respective rail received in each of said last-named slide-ways for movement between two Vextremes in one of which the rail is wholly housed within the slide-way Yand in the other of which a substantial portion of the rail projects as a cantileverV beyond said open end, and end leaf'sections of rectangular plan conguration corresponding 4in length to the aggregate width ofthe nave and the side leaf Vsections land in width to a permitted projection of said rails Vand provided upon their underside with full-width grooves arranged to receive the projecting ends of said rails and placed so as to register with the slide-*ways of the side leaf sect-ions when said side leaf sections are in their rail-sustained operating positions iat opposite sides of the nave section, the rails which sustain theside leaf sections occupying arlevel below that Vof the rails which sustain the end leaf sections, the .cantilever portion of each of said rst-namedrailsbeing provided upon its extremity with an escutcheon headfbrought to bear against the related side edge ofthe nave section when the :rail is retracted and against the outside edge of` a sustained side -leaf section when the rail is extended, the cantilever portion of Veach of said second-named rails being likewise provided upon its Vextremityfwith escutcheon khead brought to bear, when the rail is re- ;tracted, against the Vrelated side edge of the side leaf section by which it is slidably carried and, when the rail is extended, against the outsidered'ge of a sustained side leaf section, all Vof said escutcheon heads being identical lupon theroutside edge of a sustained side -leaf section when the rail` is extended, concealing 'the rail and its silide-wa'yror its groove, as lthe case may be, and giving `to the Vescutcheonv head :the appearance of being a xed Y Vpieceot ornamental hardware for the table.

1 2` An extension table Vcomprising a main nave section' V of rect-angular plan conguration providing transversely ,v extending slide-waysupon its underside each open by one end thereof to a side edge of the section,Y there being Y at leastvtvvo of said slide-ways for each side edge spaced one from the other longitudinally of the section a respective received in each slide-:way for movement between and being characterized inrthat the sameV perform a hold- Y ing function as well as concealing the rail and its slide- Way or itsggroove, as the case may be, and giving to the escutcheon head the appearance of being a fixed piece of ornamental hardware for fthe table.

3. Structure las recited in claimy 1 inwhich the side leaf sections ylie flush with the nave section, both top and bottom, when applied to said -nave section, and

wherein at least the said edges of the sections have con- Y siderable depth so .thatfthe table top gives the appearance Vof thick slab stock, the relationship las between such rails and the said nave and'side leafsections being' such thatV Vthe undersides ofthe railsV occupy aflevel no lower thanV the bottom limit of said side 'and end [edges of Vthe table .two extremes in one of which the rail is wholly housed col ' sections.

' References Cited in' the tile of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTSA 347,358 Laufer Aug.V 17, 1886 751,221 Thompson jFeb.- 2,V 1904 1,524,767 Vandervoort' Feb. 3, 1925 2,553,082 Conner f f QM-ay 15 1951 2,555,545 Kelle'ghan June 5, 1951 2,595,845 Hagwell May 6,V 1952 

